Electronic product having airflow-guiding structure and method for fabricating the airflow-guiding structure thereof

ABSTRACT

An electronic product (such as a switch) having an airflow-guiding structure and a method for fabricating the airflow-guiding structure thereof are disclosed, and are featured in using an industrial double-faced adhesive tape to mount a plastic airflow-guiding plate made of flame retardant grade of polypropylene in the housing, thereby forming an airflow path used for allowing air to flow from air inlets of a housing through an electronic element located in the housing, thus providing heat-dissipation function for the electronic element.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Taiwan Application Serial Number 94130384, filed Sep. 5, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to an electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure and a method for fabricating the airflow-guiding structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fan-out for the flat panel display.

2. Description of Related Art

Fans are commonly used in various industrial tools for heat dissipation, and particularly are widely used in electronic products. With the increase of various applications, more and more electrical circuit boards are installed in one single electronic product. Based on the consideration of space design, the electrical circuit boards generally have to be mounted intensively in the housing of the electronic product. Due to the limited space in the electronic product for heat dissipation, the electronic product has to have a plurality of fan modules installed therein with the additional design of airflow-guiding plate for increase the flow rate of airflow passing through, so that the heat dissipation issues of the electrical circuit boards can be resolved.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing a conventional electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure. A conventional metal airflow-guiding plate 30 is formed by using a stamping tool, and then a connection portion 34 of the metal airflow-guiding plate 30 is fixed on a bottom surface 18 of a housing 10 of the conventional electronic product by using fastening elements 32 (such as screws, rivets, etc.) or a welding method, thereby forming an airflow path for allowing ambient air to pass through an electrical circuit board 20 (such as a chip) from air inlets 12 disposed on one side 14 of the housing 10, wherein the ambient air thereafter leaves the housing 10 from the vents (not labeled) disposed on the other side 16, thus providing heat-dissipation function for the electrical circuit board 20. Since the conventional metal airflow-guiding plate 30 is electrically conductive, a predetermined distance D has to be designed between the metal airflow-guiding plate 30 and the electrical circuit board 20 for preventing short-circuiting from occurring. In addition, the conventional metal airflow-guiding plate 30 is quite heavy. The design of reserving the predetermined distance D and the heavy metal airflow-guiding plate 30 are quite disadvantageous to the electronic product emphasizing the features of smallness, lightness and thinness,

Further, since the airflow-guiding plate 30 is made of metal, it needs to be mounted in a specific assembling way in the hosing 10, otherwise the elements 20 or other electrical circuit boards inside the housing 10 will be touch and damaged by the airflow-guiding plate 30, thus resulting in more assembling time needed and lower product yield. Moreover, the fabrication of the airflow-guiding plate 30 needs to develop extra molding tools for making a stamping die, which further increase a lot of production cost.

Hence, there is a need to develop an electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure and a method for fabricating the airflow-guiding structure, for overcoming the disadvantages of the conventional skill by shortening the distance between the airflow-guiding plate and the electrical circuit boards; reducing the weight of the airflow-guiding plate; preventing the airflow-guiding plate from touching and damaging the electrical circuit boards; reducing the time for assembling the airflow-guiding plate in the housing; promoting electronic product yield; and lowering the production cost of the airflow-guiding plate.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention is to provide an electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure and a method for fabricating the airflow-guiding structure, thereby preventing the airflow-guiding plate from touching and damaging the electrical circuit boards; lowering the production cost of the airflow-guiding plate and reducing the time for assembling the airflow-guiding plate in the housing; and promoting electronic product yield.

The other aspect of the present invention is to provide an electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure and a method for fabricating the airflow-guiding structure, thereby shortening the distance between the airflow-guiding plate and the electrical circuit boards; reducing the weight of the airflow-guiding plate for meeting the requirement of smallness, lightness and thinness.

According to the aforementioned aspects of the present invention, an electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure and a method for fabricating the airflow-guiding structure are provided.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the electronic product having the airflow-guiding structure comprises a housing, at least one electrical circuit board disposed inside the housing, at least one plastic airflow-guiding plate and at least one adhesive element. There is at least one air inlet disposed on one side of the housing for introducing airflow into the housing from the ambience. The adhesive element is used for mounting the plastic airflow-guiding plate inside the housing so as to form a flow path, wherein the airflow passes through the electrical circuit board from the air inlet for heat dissipation. The plastic airflow-guiding plate is made of flame retardant grade of polypropylene, and the material thereof is electrically insulating, and a tensile yield stress thereof is substantially greater than or equal to 3200 psi as measured according to ASTM D-882. The adhesive element is an industrial double-faced adhesive tape. The plastic airflow-guiding plate contacts or is tightly adjacent to the electrical circuit board.

Further, according to the preferred embodiment, in the method for fabricating an airflow-guiding structure, at first, a housing of an electronic product is provided, wherein at least one air inlet is disposed on one side of the housing for introducing airflow into the housing from the ambience, and at least one electrical circuit board is disposed inside the housing. Thereafter, at least one plastic airflow-guiding plate is formed, wherein the plastic airflow-guiding plate is made of flame retardant grade of polypropylene. Then, the plastic airflow-guiding plate is mounted inside the housing by using at least one industrial double-faced adhesive tape, wherein one adhesive surface of the industrial double-faced adhesive tape is adhered to the housing, and the other adhesive surface of the industrial double-faced adhesive tape is adhered to the plastic airflow-guiding plate, thereby forming a flow path allowing the airflow to pass through the electrical circuit board from the air inlet for heat dissipation.

Hence, with the application of the present invention, the production cost and assembling time of the airflow-guiding plate can be reduced, and the electronic product yield can be promoted; the distance between the airflow-guiding plate and the electrical circuit board can be shortened, and the weight of the airflow-guiding plate can be reduced, thus meeting the requirement of smallness, lightness and thinness.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing a conventional electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart showing a method for fabricating the electronic product having the airflow-guiding structure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The electronic product of the present invention has a housing 10, at least one electrical circuit board 20 installed inside the housing 10, a plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 and an adhesive element (not shown) located between a bottom surface 18 of the housing 10 and an adhering portion 110 of the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100, wherein the adhering portion extends from the bottom of the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 so as to increase the area for adhering the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 and the bottom surface 18. There is at least one inlet 12 disposed on the side 14 of the housing 10 for introducing the ambient air thereto, and at least one fan module (not shown) can be further installed on the inlet 12 for enhancing the flow rate of the airflow. The adhesive element is used to adhere the adhering portion 110 of the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 to the housing 10 and thus a flow path is formed, wherein along the flow path, the ambient air passes through the electrical circuit board 20 from the inlet 12, and leaves the housing 10 from the vents (not labeled) disposed on the other side 16, thereby providing heat-dissipation function for the electrical circuit board 20. The plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 is made of such as flame retardant grade of polypropylene, and the material thereof is electrically insulating, and a tensile yield stress thereof is substantially greater than or equal to 3200 psi as measured according to ASTM D-882. With regard to the material for forming the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100, the present invention preferably uses Formex material available from ITW, USA. The adhesive element can be such as an industrial double-faced adhesive tape, preferably T4000 industrial tape available from Sony Chemicals, Japan. The number and material of the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 and the adhesive element described above are merely stated as examples for explanation, and can be adjusted in accordance with the number and location of the electrical circuit board 20, so that the present invention is not limited thereto.

Since the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 of the present invention is an excellent electrical insulator, no predetermined distance D as shown in FIG. 1 has to be reserved between the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 and the electrical circuit board 20 from the design consideration. Therefore, the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 can be tightly adjacent to or even contact and the electrical circuit board 20, which is especially advantageous for achieving the electronic product of smallness, lightness and thinness. Further, since the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 of the present invention has the features of electrical insulation, lightness and softness, it does not need to adopt a specific assembling way for mounting the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 in the housing 10, so that the assembly personnel can briefly attach the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 to the housing 10 without touching and damaging the electrical circuit board 20 or other electrical circuit boards inside the housing 10 and without causing short-circuiting. Further, the plastic airflow-guiding plate 100 is adhered to the bottom surface 18 of the housing by directly using such as an industrial double-faced adhesive tape, so that no extra molding tools are needed for making a stamping die, and no complex processing method of using screws, rivets or welding are needed to be used.

Hereinafter, the method for fabricating the airflow-guiding structure according to the present invention is described.

Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart showing a method for fabricating the electronic product having the airflow-guiding structure according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the fabrication method of the airflow-guiding structure according to the present invention, step 200 is first formed for providing a housing of an electronic product, wherein at least one air inlet is disposed on one side of the housing for introducing airflow into the housing from the ambience, and at least one electrical circuit board is disposed inside the housing. Thereafter, step 210 is performed for forming at least one plastic airflow-guiding plate, wherein the plastic airflow-guiding plate is made of flame retardant grade of polypropylene. Then, step 220 is performed for mounting the plastic airflow-guiding plate inside the housing by using at least one industrial double-faced adhesive tape, wherein one adhesive surface of the industrial double-faced adhesive tape is adhered to the housing, and the other adhesive surface of the industrial double-faced adhesive tape is adhered to the plastic airflow-guiding plate, thereby forming a flow path allowing the airflow to pass through the electrical circuit board from the air inlet for heat dissipation. It is worthy to be noted that the plastic airflow-guiding plate can be tightly adjacent to or contact the electrical circuit board.

It can be known from the aforementioned preferred embodiment of the present invention, the application of the present invention has the advantages of greatly reducing the production cost and assembling time of the airflow-guiding plate and promoting the electronic product yield; greatly shortening the distance between the airflow-guiding plate and the electrical circuit board, and reducing the weight of the airflow-guiding plate, thus meeting the requirement of smallness, lightness and thinness.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. 

1. An electronic product having an airflow-guiding structure, said electronic product comprising: a housing, wherein at least one air inlet is disposed on one side of said housing for introducing airflow into said housing from the ambience; at least one electrical circuit board disposed inside said housing; at least one plastic airflow-guiding plate; and at least one adhesive element used for mounting said plastic airflow-guiding plate inside said housing so as to form a flow path, wherein said airflow passes through said electrical circuit board from said air inlet for heat dissipation.
 2. The electronic product as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plastic airflow-guiding plate is made of flame retardant grade of polypropylene.
 3. The electronic product as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plastic airflow-guiding plate is made of electrically insulating material.
 4. The electronic product as claimed in claim 1, wherein a tensile yield stress of said plastic airflow-guiding plate is substantially greater than or equal to 3200 psi as measured according to ASTM D-882.
 5. The electronic product as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adhesive element is an industrial double-faced adhesive tape.
 6. The electronic product as claimed in claim 1, comprising: at least one fan module mounted on said air inlet for sucking in said airflow.
 7. The electronic product as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plastic airflow-guiding plate contacts or is tightly adjacent to said electrical circuit board.
 8. The electronic product as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electrical circuit board comprises a chip.
 9. A method for fabricating an airflow-guiding structure, comprising: providing a housing of an electronic product, wherein at least one air inlet is disposed on one side of said housing for introducing airflow into said housing from the ambience, and at least one electrical circuit board is disposed inside said housing; forming at least one plastic airflow-guiding plate, wherein said plastic airflow-guiding plate is made of flame retardant grade of polypropylene; and mounting said plastic airflow-guiding plate inside said housing for forming a flow path allowing said airflow to pass through said electrical circuit board from said air inlet for heat dissipation.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said step of mounting said plastic airflow-guiding plate inside said housing is performed by using at least one industrial double-faced adhesive tape, wherein one adhesive surface of said industrial double-faced adhesive tape is adhered to said housing, and the other adhesive surface of said industrial double-faced adhesive tape is adhered to said plastic airflow-guiding plate.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said plastic airflow-guiding plate is made of electrically insulating material.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a tensile yield stress of said plastic airflow-guiding plate is substantially greater than or equal to 3200 psi as measured according to ASTM D-882.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said plastic airflow-guiding plate contacts or is tightly adjacent to said electrical circuit board.
 14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said electrical circuit board comprises a chip. 